1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method capable of performing a predetermined processing with executing one or more programs including a boot loader, an operating system, an application software and so on.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, there is a widespread of an information communication system for transmitting/receiving information among a plurality of information processing apparatuses, each of which, such as a computer, is inter-connected to each other via a communication line, such as a network.
Such an information communication system is expanding over a television broadcasting for example. Conventionally, a broadcasting station converts a sound and a video, which constitute a television program, into a radio wave to be transmitted; on the other hand, a television that is disposed at a viewer's house receives the radio wave and just reproduces it. At present, however, in association with digitalization of television broadcastings, a technology allowing a bidirectional communication between a television at the broadcasting station and another television at the viewer's house is developed, and thereby televisions are no longer simple receivers and becoming equal to information processing apparatuses having a function for generating and transmitting information (hereinafter a television that becomes equal in its function to the information processing apparatus is referred to as a “television apparatus”). In view of this, the television broadcasting system will be a kind of visual media information communication system, in the near future.
In such a television apparatus of the visual media information communication system, a fundamental construction of the computer is integrated. That is, each television apparatus is provided with an application software for receiving and reproducing a content information transmitted from the broadcasting station, an operating system for controlling or managing the execution of the application software, and a boot loader for starting the operating system when an electrical power is supplied to the television apparatus for example.
Nevertheless, in the aforementioned visual media information communication system, not only the content information, but also programs such as the application software, the operating system and the like to be executed in each television apparatus can be distributed via the communication line. For example, in order to update the operating system that is executed in the television apparatus to a higher grade, an owner of the television apparatus can make access to the broadcasting station via the communication line of the visual media information communication system to download and install a new operating system program into the television apparatus from the broadcasting station.
Nevertheless, a trouble that the application software or the operating system that is expected to be updated properly does not run properly may arise, due to a certain cause, such as a failure in downloading or installing, a defect in the updated program, otherwise a wrong program installation and so on. If the application software does not run properly, performing the updating processing again may solve the trouble. It is difficult, however, to solve the trouble in the case that the operating system does not run properly. That is the reason why the updating processing is no longer feasible in the case that the operating system does not run properly and a program to perform the updating processing runs also on the operating system. In this case, the owner should bring the television apparatus to the service center of the maker to ask the repair, which is inconvenience and bothersome.